


Face Your Concequences

by Browa123



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Player-Insert, Reader has a Sans plushy, Reader is a total nerd, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-08
Updated: 2017-01-04
Packaged: 2018-08-13 20:02:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 17,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7984372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Browa123/pseuds/Browa123
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Undertale had to be the most popular game of 2015. You are a massive nerd for the game and has loved it to pieces since it's release. Though recently, many who have played the game have gone missing, so you lock yourself away to avoid being taken. How cruel can Karma be? [Player-insert] [Tries to be gender-neutral] {notify me about mistakes}</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Kidnapped

There was another missing person’s report.  
  
Honestly, this was just getting repetitive. There you sat, silently glaring at the monitor of your computer screen, looking blankly at the report that had shown up the moment you opened the internet browser. There was, again, no name or face for the alleged kidnapper who was behind the issue. As far as you knew, there was no motive behind the kidnappings either. But, there was one thing in common with every person who went missing.  
  
You read it around the tenth report, that the parents of the missing teen in that report claimed the youth was a massive fan of the indie game “Undertale”. After that was brought up, friends and family of the other missing people began confirming the same thing to authorities. It was at that point, that if there was a maniac going around kidnapping people for playing Undertale, you decided to lock yourself in your house.  
  
You, too, were an avid fan of the game, completing all three types of runs, neutral, pacifist and genocide. Though, after completing the merciless run yourself, you made sure to get into the games files and erase the one that gives your soul to… whatever you named the fallen child during your playthrough. Honestly, you loved the game, were a big part of its fandom to the point of following a vast majority of roleplay, ask, AU and art blogs on Tumblr, you were just that much of a nerd. You read plenty of fanfiction, and even sometimes drew fan-art. You followers definitely liked your art and you loved the good feedback and comments you got from the few you had. You were kind of in that hater-free part of the internet, where you had some decent fans, but you weren’t popular enough to attract unwanted attention to yourself.  
  
Clutching a Sans plushy to your chest, you are a huge nerd with the skeleton being your favorite character, after all, you continued your browsing. You needed to eat at some point, which meant purchasing food, which would usually mean leaving the house and getting kidnapped by a psychopath Undertale hater. But, there is such a thing called online shopping. Since you usually worked at home for money, and your parents were there to support you with a healthy amount of allowance until you got a “real job”, affording food would be no problem. You placed your order into the website and payed with your PayPal account.  
  
It would take a while for groceries to get here. You looked around for something to do. You could actually read the fiftieth article about missing Undertale players again, but it just seemed like a waste of time. YouTube was starting to lack in interesting videos, since YouTubers who played Undertale were also on the kidnapper’s picking list. There was some huge uproar when popular gamers, animators and other fans on the site began vanishing with the rest of the kidnapped souls. More reason to stay locked in your house with your trusty computer and tablet, along with your near and dear Sans plushy to protect you from having overly scary thoughts of the kidnapper coming for you next. It was a comfort thing, and you hated when people knew about him just to call you a baby for having a toy. You glanced at the plush again, an idea forming in your head. You finally found a way to pass the time.  
  
Launching Steam, you scrolled through your library of purchased games, all the way down to Undertale. Who cares about some silly little game so much? It’s only around six hours long for those who knew what they were doing, and you definitely did. You opened the game again, not having touched it since your no mercy run and meddling with the files to “undo” selling your soul. The game started up as normal, though the room started to become cold, really cold. You got up to check the temperature, only to see it reading as normal. You also noted it was the computer that was snow cold. Promptly, you grabbed a blue winter jacket from the closet, again, you are a huge nerd, and invested in getting a replica of Sans’ coat, hoping to get into cosplay one day, and threw it over your arms before returning to the ice cold computer. The monitor practically generated the freezing atmosphere, as the letters for Undertale’s start-up menu trembled violently, like you remembered it.  
  
**Name the Fallen Human  
** **Chara  
**   
Why not go with a classic? Chara was the true name of the first fallen human, after all. Though, instead of the usual “The True Name” that appears when inputting Chara into the menu and confirming, the moment you selected ‘done’, a new message appeared, one you hadn’t seen before.  
  
**This is your only warning. You will avoid playing this game again or meet the fate of the others. Please do not continue.**  
  
Uh….what? Why would a video game ask you not to play it? Meet the fate of the others?! Did that psyco kidnapper hack your computer?! You glanced around your room in a panic, looking to make sure everything was firmly shut and locked. A chill went up your spine, and you were unsure if it was from the sheer cold leaking from your computer or the slight emergency of the situation. You pulled out every stop to make sure that crazy person kept his mitts off of you. You ensured everything was locked down tight, windows shut, doors closed and you hidden in the dark to make sure no one would see shadows against the window. With your safety secured, as well as your intentions, you hugged your plush tightly and pressed the Z key to confirm you wanted to continue, ready to set out for one final true pacifist ending.  
  
The name approached the screen as normal, as the monitor began fading to white. A really bright white, it was seriously starting to burn after a minute….wait…a minute?! You freezing cold computer must have crashed and left you stuck in the white fading of the game. You glared at the monitor and sighed in annoyance, getting up to go fix the problem yourself and shield your eyes before you became even more blind by the overwhelming white light leaking from your cold computer.  
  
You went to take a step, but stopped immediately when your chest seized up. You saw a blue light somehow and unexplainably begin glowing from your chest. Then you began being dragged back toward the computer involuntarily. You approached and as soon as your hands went through the white computer screen (You had put them in front of you to stop you from hitting the thing), you started screaming. You were being dragged right through the computer, the cold and blue glow refusing to let up as you screeched in confusion, surprise and fear. How in all logical sense do you get dragged into a computer?! You tried pulling against the force, but that only made it pull back harder, to the point of it hurting your chest. You were soon engulfed in the white glow, your kicking legs dragging things on your desk into the whiteness with you.  
  
The darkness faded to black and a loud, pounding heartbeat echoed in your ears.


	2. Out of the Void

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's dark, and then it's snowy.

It’s **dark.**

It’s cold and dark and you have no idea where you are, nor how long you’ve been in the darkness, drifting. And drifting, and drifting. You hear the occasional voice, but cannot see anything as the darkness grows darker. You clutching something soft, and after feeling around it, you decided it was your Sans plushy you held so dearly. You hugged it tightly, like it was your last lifeline in reality, if anything here was reality or not. What can you trust in a seemingly endless void, where you, and possibly all the other players have been sent to.  
  
You tried calling for help. You cried into the darkness. But, as you would have guessed, nobody came. Who knew such an old, cliché line like that could actually feel so lonely when actually experiencing it. Your mind began straying to darker thoughts as time moved on. Was this karma? Is this your punishment for finishing the merciless run? Did deleting that file, thinking you were above the petty consequences of a mere game lead to this? You don’t know how long you were crying, but sometime after that thought, all you could hear was your own whimpers of fear as a wet sensation dripped down your face. You tried calling for help again. Guess what? Nobody came. You hugged Plushy Sans tighter to your chest as your weak whimpering continued.  
  
There was blue again. A blue light erupted from the void. The shine flickered around your general direction, as if searching for something. Again, you hear the faint sound of voices. The spark of blue is headed towards you, but you can see the darkness of the void attempting to snuff it out. You didn’t want the light to leave. Its soft blue glow was much more comforting then the harsh blue that dragged you here. You reached out to the light, thinking you could grab it. Your fingers grazed the glow of the soft blue light, the voices getting louder. The light was cool feeling, like your first touch of powdered snow after a light storm, it felt nice after feeling nothing for so long.  
  
The light snaked up your arm and around your chest. It’s pleasant, cool feeling making you feel a lot better. Your chest tugged lightly, again, a lot less forceful than the harsh blue that sent you to this place. You could hear the voices that echoed getting louder as the cool blue light tugged. They seemed to be encouraging words, praising the light and telling it to continue tugging. The darkness began to fade and get brighter. Light felt so nice. The void couldn’t keep its grasp as the blue light tugged you into reality.  
  
  
Snow  
  
It was the first thing you saw when you regained full consciousness. The fluffy and cold snow of a winter storm blanketed the land in front of you. It was refreshing to see something familiar after that awful experience. Maybe it was all just a bad dream, that feeling of being stuck in the dark forever. It was gone now, and you welcomed the cold feeling of the snow on your body. You could make a snow angel right there if you wanted, not a care in the world. Though, it would look pretty idiotic to some random passerby, seeing someone your age flinging their arms and legs up and down like a child, so you decide against the snow angel idea.  
  
**“heya,”** A low voice drawls, pulling you out of your snow angel day dream. **“you gonna lay in the snow all day, kid?”** The voice asks, clearly amused by you spacing out. You lean your head back to see a pair of pink, fuzzy slippers by your head. Still somewhat dazed, you reply with. “I’m too lazy to get up, and I like the snow.” The person behind you chuckles. **“heh heh. looks like we already have a lot in common,”** he comments, and you can hear the snow crunch under his slippers as he walks forward in a slow and lazy manner.  
  
For a moment, you think you’re still dreaming as the mystery person leans over you with an amused look on his…skull. You decide you’re seeing this right, as the skeleton above you offers you a hand up. You only can gaze in awe at the real Sans the Skeleton, leaning over you, agreeing with your lazy comments and offering you a boney hand up. **“heh, and i thought i was lazy. ya could at least try to lift your hand up. don’tcha know how to greet a new pal?”** Sans asks, raising an eyebrow. Quickly shaking away your star struck nerves, you take the hand of your favorite video game character, as a long farting sound rips through the cold air. You are on your feet when the whoopee cushion finishes its note, and a long moment of silence plays.  
  
Then, you and Sans are both laughing. **“heheheh. the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick, it’s a total classic,”** the skeleton in front of you chuckles. **“so, anyways, i was hoping to talk to ya. wanna go to my place and have a chat?”** Sans asks, giving you a friendly grin. You do know better to accept invites from random strangers, but this was no stranger. This was Sans, a friend of Frisk’s and someone, if you knew anything about the game, you could definitely put your trust in. You gave Sans a nod, and he lead you to a shortcut.  
  
You find yourself in Sans’ room about two seconds after you follow his lead. All you did was blink, and you were already somewhere else. **“fast shortcut, right?”** Sans rhetorically asks. You nod in response, and he invites you to sit on the bed. You’re too busy watching the trash tornado in the corner to pay any real attention to the bed itself, and you’re attacked by the sound of another whoopee cushion as you sit down. **“heh. wonder what weirdo put that there,”** Sans jokes, winking at you and shrugging. You give a laugh in response. **“now then, kid. let’s get down to business,”** the skeleton announces, sitting on the other end of the bed, and giving you a more serious look.  
  
**“what do you know about ‘undertale’, pal?”** Sans all but echos, the sound of his voice being much more cold than the jovial tone he was giving you earlier. You swallow at the sudden tension in the room, though it wasn’t like you weren’t expecting it. You weren’t under the protection of Sans’ promise to Toriel, because you never came out of that door. One wrong move, and Sans has full obligation to kill you. The thought sent a shiver down your spine. Lying would not end well, that was for sure, so in your nervousness, you just manage to utter out “I know a bit about it….”  
  
Sans’ brow ridge sinks lower, in a bit of a glare. You don’t like the way he’s looking at you, with such distrust and anger. You were a piece of the anomaly he was searching for, after all. You always thought Sans was cool for his hidden powers and knowledge, but now it was making you fear for your life. You scooted a bit closer to the edge of the bed, giving the skeleton some space.

**“it’s good to know i finally got one of you out of his grasp, because i have some questions of my own for you,”** Sans tells you, his gaze never leaving yours. You’re at a loss for what to say, so you nod timidly. Answer what he wants you to, be honest and do not anger the skeleton further, you tell yourself. He’ll know when you’re lying, and he’s already upset about the RESETs. **“first of all, is this all just a game to you?”** Sans questions, is glare growing increasingly uncomfortable. “I…d-didn’t know any better….” You stutter, feeling a bead of sweat roll down your forehead. **“of course you didn’t,”** The skeleton’s tone is harsh. You barely hold back a whimper as he turns his head away to stare at the ground. He faces you again after a moment, while you took the time he looked away to collect yourself. You definitely wished you had Plushy Sans to cuddle right now. Remember, comfort thing. You didn’t have many friends as a kid, so you put more trust in the toys you owned.  
  
Suddenly, you realise. Plushy Sans was with you the whole time you were in the void. Shouldn’t the toy have come out with you, considering you had it so tightly locked in your arms? The real Sans seems to notice your surprise, as the more comical grin returns, and he raises a smug brow bone. **“it looks like you’re missing something you thought you had, kid,”** a smug comment to go with the smug look. Sans reaches into his jacket and pulls something out. If you were speechless before, you did not know anything about the word.  
  
Sans was holding your plushy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the positive stuff!


	3. Having a Good Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Sans have a good chuckle, and he explains some things.

He’s laughing at you.  
  
You don’t know how long he’s been laughing at you, but the loud noise has being going on for a while now. You swore you heard Papyrus enter and leave in the time Sans was letting his enjoyment of your suffering known to the world. The worst part is he just won’t stop. You don’t make any comment to stop his laughing fit, because your life is still at risk here. Sure, he’s laughing now, but who knows when he’ll turn around and take you to Asgore to get your SOUL taken away, while you rot in the basement of video game land for the rest of eternity. It’s better than the void, at least.  
  
His laughter dies out after a while, he’s still clutching your plush, and you hadn’t made a move to take it back into your possession, due to reasons already explained, and of all of the poor souls trapped in the void, why you? Why did that cool blue light save you of all people from that crushing darkness? You’re still attempting to collect yourself through the embarrassment of the situation in front of you. And Sans is still chuckling. You’re filled with discomfort, and Sans thinks it’s hilarious.  
  
With the laughing finally done, Sans turns to face you again. **“you know what? you’re a good kid. i think i’ll let the anomaly business around you slide for now,”** he comments, tossing you back your plush toy. You let out a sigh you didn’t know you were holding, now that your life is in no immediate danger. Thank goodness. **“say, you look like you haven’t eaten in a while. how’s about you join me for grub, my treat,”** Sans offers. Hoping he’s talking about Grillby’s, you nod. With being isolated in your house so long, you could definitely go for some fast food.  
  
Sans leads you to a shortcut, and you arrive at Grillby’s a moment later.  
  
**“hey everyone”**  
  
“Hey Sans!”  
  
“Greetings, Sans!”  
  
“Hello Sans.”  
  
“Hiya Sansy!”  
  
It was so much better hearing it in real life than just reading lines of dialogue. It’s like watching anime without the subtitles, you don’t have to drag your eyes away from the cool stuff to understand the situation. Sans gives everyone a wave of acknowledgement, and continues over to the counter. **“so, what do you want to eat?”** he asks. Wanting to see him chug ketchup, you order a burger, you didn’t need any condiment for that. **“hey, grillbz! double order of burg!”** Sans calls to the bartender. Grillby leaves through the fire exit, leaving you two in more awkward silence.  
  
Sans chuckles again. **“so kid, what’s with the toy?”** the skeleton asks. “It’s a comfort thing,” you reply. **“heh, papyrus can be like that, too. he may have a lot of action figures, but he actually has a plush fluffy bunny under his bed he can’t sleep without. don’t tell him I know about it,”** Sans tells you. You nod again, and give a light laugh.  
  
Grillby returns with two burgers a moment later. **“here comes the grub,”** Sans comments, looking hungrily at the food in front of him. **“want some ketchup?”** he asks, grabbing a bottle from under his jacket. You tell him no. **“good to know you can say no, kid. and here i thought you just agreed with everything i say,”** chuckles the skeleton, before he screws of the cap off the bottle of ketchup and somehow chugs it without it staining his teeth or it leaking through him. Magic is weird. “I guess I just need to ‘ketchup’ with what’s going on here,” you pun, attempting to get on better terms with your favorite character.  
  
He laughs deeply. **“good one. i’ll “relish” in the fact you can make a bad pun,”** he barks between chuckles, and you begin laughing, too. Staying on good terms with Sans is a major advantage in this game turned reality, and you may need some backup if you ever want to get home. You exchange a few puns with Sans, using some you heard off the internet, and some as quick wit in relation to the subject being punned. It definitely helped you defuse the situation. And then Papyrus walked in.  
  
“SANS! HAVE YOU AND THE HUMAN TALKED ABOUT WHAT YOU NEEDED TO? THE BRILLIANT DR. ALPHYS STILL HAS SOME THINGS TO GET DONE REGARDING US LIVING IN A VIDEO GAME!!” the skeleton shouts. Wait, they all knew?! How long have they all known?! Sans, again, notices your confusion. **“i still have some explaining to do, bro. we’ll all meet up when i’m done,k?”** Sans answers, waving to his brother. Papyrus exits after that, clearly not wanting to stay around Grillby’s for very long. Papyrus’ distaste for grease wasn’t the most hidden thing about the taller skeleton. Though, regardless, seeing Papyrus in the bone was pretty cool for the two seconds you saw him.  
  
Sans finishes putting the dinner bill on his tab, and the two of you leave again. You walk out of Grillby’s into Sans’ lab. The first thing you notice is the sheet that should be over the weird machine at the back isn’t there, leaving the machine fully exposed, and on. Sans watches you admire his laboratory a minute, before speaking. **“you looked pretty “rattled” that papyrus knew about our situation,”** he points out. You turn to him again. It’s his turn to explain, after all. **“you see this machine? it’s a device that was originally intended to stop RESETs from happening, override any determined force that entered our timespace, y’know?”** Sans explains, gesturing to the machine in the back.  
  
He glances sidelong after that. **“it didn’t exactly work the way it was intended to. instead, it alerted our timespace to an irrefutable truth, we only exist for the entertainment of the anomaly. we were only created to please a force beyond our control with a good story, and we couldn’t do anything to stop it from re-reading it, in any way it liked. our knowledge of the anomaly only grew after that. we existed as a game, undertale. some people soon learned to live with their assigned roles, but others wanted to be free from more than just the barrier. others including the one who dragged you into our realm. i was a part of the other side of the spectrum, once. i never understood why anyone, video game or not, would like to toy with the lives of real people, but…  
**   
**alphys. she made me see the truth behind the situation when she explained it like this: ‘imagine if i got dragged into my favorite episode of mew mew kissy cutie, the one i rewind a lot, because it’s my favorite show, how confused would i be if my favorite character was mad at me for watching my favorite t.v show?’ it got me thinking. so, I decided to fit my role in this world and move on with the same six hours of my life continually being reset. i moved on, and so did my friends. we learned to live with it, because we like making people happy, and what a better way than putting on a good show, right?  
**   
**but then, the real problem surfaced. an entity in the void, the empty space between your world and mine, began screwing with our realms, making people pay for playing the game. dragging players of undertale into the void as punishment. we became aware of it after about the tenth, poor soul being dragged screaming away from their home. so we decided to do something about it, rescue the players in the void and help them get home. and, well, you’re the first we managed to save,”** Sans finishes, looking exhausted from all of the talking. You listened intently, making sure to remember the details.  
  
**“now, we just have to get you home, and I have a few friends that are still working on that…”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I do take situation suggestions!!


	4. NGAAAH!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's fluff, and then there's plot, and then there's fluff, and then there's Undyne.
> 
>  
> 
> Plushies.

It’s pleasant here.  
  
After your chat with Sans, you took a shortcut with him to MTT Hotel, where there were other characters you clearly recognised waiting. Papyrus and Undyne were having a seemingly friendly chat that was going to inevitably escalate into some violent show of royal guard power, Toriel was giving a stern glare at Asgore, probably to keep him from taking any soul from the humans who were here, because Frisk and Alphys were also having a friendly chat, and you could see a flower pot with a red ribbon in Frisk’s arms, and low and behold, a grouchy Flowey was in it. The first thought that came to your mind was “Flowey Pot AU is Real”.  
  
**“heya,”** Sans called to the crowd. “O-oh, Sans! You’re h-h-here, and is th-that?” Alphys stutters, looking in your direction. **“yup. managed to get one out of the void, though it took a lot of effort,”** Sans answers Alphys. You wave politely. Suddenly, Undyne is charging toward you, and the next moment she has you in headlock.  
  
“NGAAAAH! So you’re that player punk, are you?!” Undyne screams at you. You’re filled with intimidation, clearly evident in the fact you’re sweating bullets. Undyne suplexes you across the room, toward Frisk, Flowey and Alphys. “Alright, Alphys! It’s time to do the nerdy stuff!!” Undyne calls from across the room, but your head is pounding due to being thrown into the ground, across the room and into the wall in one fell swoop, so you’re kind-of out of it again.  
“U-Undyne! That c-c-could have r-really hurt th-them!” Alphys utters out, looking over at you. You’re really dizzy right now. “Did you make more Mettatons…? Because I see a lot of stars,” you mumble, and hear Sans laugh at your joke. “PLAYER, PLEASE DO NOT BRING METTATON INTO ANY JOKES, EVER.” Papyrus groans loudly.  
  
Alphys lays beside you a moment to check your stats. “O-oh my! Y-you’re ATK and DEF! IT’s so…low!” she states to the best of her ability. Frisk ends up checking you, too.  
  
**PLAYER:  
** **ATK: 0  
** **DEF: 2  
** **HP: 2/5  
**   
You look over your stats. Wow, no wonder Undyne’s attack hurt so much. You only had five HP. And now, everyone’s giving you shocked looks. You hear Sans mumble something about Gaster. So they are connected, you reason. Though how, you did not know. “Why are they so low?” You mumbled aloud, unsure of why yourself. As an anomaly, wouldn’t you have more than just pitiful stats like that? You were almost as bad in the status department as Sans, but at least he had a shred of ATK. Did this happen to all of the kidnapped people? What if you were lucky to have any HP at all? What did the void DO to you?!  
  
Sans lets a sigh out, despite having no lungs. **“the situation is worse than we thought. whatever gaster is doing to those players in the void, it’s not good. needless to say, your stats should be higher that what you’ve got, it’s like…”** he pauses a minute, before a realisation dawns on him, **“it’s like you’ve been drained of your power.”** You swallow the information given to you. Alphys looks like she’s going to faint. Frisk looks sick and Flowey looks plain disgusted despite not having feelings.  
  
“T-taking a players d-d-determination?! V-void or n-no, that has some s-serious con-consequences on a monster’s m-mind and body!” Alphys all but exclaims. “What’s this Gaster punk trying to do, huh?!” Undyne roars angrily. Sans bows his head, the light in his sockets extinguishing. **_“he’s trying to reach the world beyond ours, and invade the universe that the players exist in, so he can destroy it,”_** the skeleton states darkly. His scary tone is definitely a lot creepier than the game portrays. And you thought the dinner Frisk had with Sans gave you a jolt. **“so kid, how many players of undertale have been taken from your world, give me a rough estimate,”** Sans directs his tone at you, and you can only answer him truthfully. “F-fifty,” you stutter.  
  
Now everyone looks sick. **“we’re running out of time, then. if we don’t find a way to stop gaster from accessing your world, it’s game over, _forever_ ,”** The tension in the air is even thicker than last time, and you find yourself holding your breath. Gaster was going to destroy your entire universe if those on your side couldn’t stop him. “THAT’S AWFUL!! THERE’S GONNA BE A VIOLENCE DONE ON THE WHOLE WORLD!!” Papyrus wails.  
  
“Oh, that player dimension isn’t the only one in trouble,” a new voice cuts in. “Gaster’s an idiot if he thinks that ending player-land is gonna solve all his problems. Hee Hee Hee! Golly, I wonder what’ll happen when the world that created ours ceases to be, and where we’ll all go,” Flowey states in a sickly-sweet voice. This is definitely a lot to swallow, and if you weren’t dizzy from getting your head smashed in, all of the info being fed to you was making your head hurt.  
  
“Oh my, I think our new friend is feeling a bit overwhelmed,” Toriel points out to everyone. Her fluffy goat paws embrace you a moment later, and your being cradled a moment after that. “Now then, it’s been a long and strenuous day for the young player, and they deserve some time and rest. Come along, my child. We will make a nice pie for our new friend!” Toriel happily states. Frisk hands Flowey over to Asgore and promptly follows after Toriel, who is carrying you into one of the large hotel rooms.  
  
You’re placed on what has to be the largest, most comfortable bed you’ve ever been on. No wonder the room rent was 200G. It definitely did wonders on all of your sore parts. “Now, I feel obligated to ask, which do you prefer, cinnamon or butterscotch?” Toriel asks. “I don’t have a preference, both are good,” you reply. “Ah, I see. I will return in but a minute, my child. Stay safe until then,” Toriel instructs, before leaving the large hotel room. There is a remote on the bedside table, so you decide to watch some T.V to pass the time.  
  
“Hello beauties and gentle-beauties! This is the fabulous Mettaton, here with two very special guests here on….

 ** _*Cooking with a Killer Robot!!*_  
**   
“Now then, will our darling special guests introduce themselves?” Wow, Mettaton really did sound like one of those stereotypical, over-the-top T.V show hosts. “Greetings all, I am Toriel, and the wonderful child beside me is Frisk.” Double-wow. Toriel and Frisk got to the studio fast. Speaking of which, Frisk is waving at the camera, and you can just barely see Sans exit the stage. That explained it. “Now then, beauties, we have an amazing recipe for you all! Toriel darling, care to introduce us?” Mettaton exclaims, adjusting his chef’s hat.  
  
“Why of course, dear. Today’s recipe is a wonderful Butterscotch-Cinnamon Pie!” Toriel cheers happily, and Mettaton starts clapping. Confetti rains down and Frisk starts playing with it. “Now, the first thing you need to make-“ You start drowning out the show with how tired you are. It really has been a long day and your eyes are beginning to drift off. Your eyes shut, and you snuggle up with Plushy Sans before falling asleep.

You don’t know how long you were asleep, but today, you just don’t care.  
  
A nice aroma wafts into your room, lulling you out of your sleepy trance. Looking to the side of the large bed you were in, your eyes find an auburn-colored slice of pie, and it smells delicious. Slowly easing yourself out of the massive bed, you go and pick up the slice of Butterscotch-Cinnamon pie left there just for you. A warm, fuzzy feeling fills your entire being as you hold the plate in your hands. You take note of a fork and letter by the plate. You start eating the pie as you read the note, because you just couldn’t leave a dessert sitting there.  
  
_“Dear player_  
  
_How was your nap? Did you sleep well? I made you a Butterscotch-Cinnamon Pie for when you awaken, please enjoy it. Also, Papyrus and Undyne wanted to see you for a cooking lesson? I do not know the details, but it is apparently the best way to make _friends. _Good luck and have a wonderful morning, child.___  
  
_Toriel,”_  
It was just so sweet. The pie, the letter, the warm bed were all so wonderful. Toriel had to be the best mom ever, hands down. Oh well, it was time to start the day. You finish your slice of pie and grab your plushy, ready to start the day.  
  
“NGAAAAH! I thought you’d NEVER wake up!! Come on, Player-Punk! Let’s get cooking! Fuhuhuhuhu!”  
  
Uh-oh.


	5. The World at Your Fingertips, Like it or Not

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A cooking lesson takes place. Are you truly trustworthy?

It was exactly what you were expecting.

Undyne had, unsurprisingly, taken you under her arm and rushed you to the kitchen at blinding speeds. You held in your urge to scream as the fish lady rushed to her house in waterfall, and you were also lucky you didn’t drop Plushy Sans on the way there. You arrive, and Papyrus, Frisk and Flowey was there waiting for you. “PLAYER! UNDYNE! YOU HAVE ARRIVED IN EXPERT TIMING FOR OUR COOKING LESSON!” The skeleton declared. “You got that right! Player-punk over here was clinging to that toy of theirs for dear life; you must not get out a lot, huh?” Undyne responded, putting you on the ground.

You nod, deciding to disclose the fact that you had locked yourself in your house to avoid getting kidnapped, and that you were stuck in there for half a year. “Fuhuhuhuhu! Yeah, you’re a wimpy loser too! But we’re gonna find out if you have a big enough heart to be our friend!” Undyne trumpeted, wrapping an arm around you and leading you inside. You let out a nervous chuckle. Physical contact wasn’t a strong point with you, at all. It only made your gut twist up and it gives you this weird feeling in your limbs. You took long, heavy steps inside the house.

Spaghetti ingredients. Were you expecting something else? The ingredients were all laid out on Undyne’s counter. Papyrus definitely looks exited, Frisk looked a little embarrassed and Flowey looked just plain bored. Do emotionless creatures feel boredom? Is boredom even an emotion? Clearly, all of your questions about this world had not subsided. “Alright, Punks! We’re going to get down to cooking today! NGAAAH!” Undyne shouted, picking you up with one hand, Frisk in the other and dropped you by the counter, were Papyrus briskly followed. “Alright! First we make the sauce! Frisk, imagine these healthy vegetables as your worst enemy! Pound them to dust with your fists! Fuhuhuhuhu!” Commanded Undyne. That’s when the weird stuff got weirder.   
Suddenly, a keypad with a screen appears in front of you, and yet, you’re the only one who notices, due to everyone being enamored in the cooking lesson. There’s only seven buttons on the glittering keypad in front of you. Z, X, C and the arrow keys. If you were to guess, it glowed in the matching colors of your soul. The screen above showed the sprite layout of Undyne’s house from Undetale, the game. Undyne’s, Papyrus’, Flowey’s and Frisk’s sprites stood in front of the counter, but you were nowhere to be seen. And yet…

***(How will you pound?)**   
***Strong *Wimpy**

****  
Did you…. still have your powers over this world? Even inside the game, you could control Frisk’s actions. Looking away, you saw Frisk being very indecisive. You had to decide for them, because as an avatar, even when given free will, Frisk still needed the push to decide on something. Perhaps no one will notice if...

***Whimpy**

****  
You’ll chose for Frisk just this once. After you input your decision, you found a way to close the odd magic that had given you that weird laptop-like…thing, and looked up to see Frisk petting the tomato. That was just too weird for the time being. Keep the magic, world controlling laptop in its case for now, you decided. It vanished after that, but you now knew how to summon it again, if you needed it.

“Alright, Player-punk! Time to add the noodles!” Undyne called, and you walked over. Papyrus handed you an unopened box of pasta noodles. You put the pasta in the way you always did, tearing off the lid of the box and dumping the noodles straight into the pot of hot water. “WOWIE! I’VE NEVER SEEN IT DONE THAT WAY BEFORE! NOW YOU WON’T HAVE TO PICK THE CARDBOARD OUT OF THE SPAGHETTI LATER!!” Papyrus gawked. Okay, so he always just throws the whole box in, every time. Good to know. Undyne began…stirring the pasta. If you could call launching magic spears into the pot stirring, that is. “Time for the final step! Turn up the heat!” the fish lady roared.

You were told to do that, too. You crank up the stove its highest point, and the stove catches fire. And then the counter catches fire. All you can do is blush in embarrassment as you rush out of the house, watching it burn down in front of you. Honestly, though, it’s not like you didn’t see it coming. Undyne has a laugh, clearly she saw it coming as well. It appears some events in game are unavoidable. It was just how their world worked. You apologize to Undyne anyway. Luckily, the head of the royal guard forgives you.

Flowey whispers something to Frisk, and then the child places the pot in your arms. Frisk just left you alone with Flowey. “Unnerved” would be the best way to describe your feelings at the moment. “Golly! That sure worked out better than expected!” Flowey cheered in faked happiness. You raised an eyebrow at the flower’s statement. “Hee hee hee! Boy, you sure are clueless! This lesson was all a setup made by the smiley trashbag!” Flowey declared cheerfully. “You see, ever since that stupid skeleton dragged you out of the void, Frisk has been having a hard time making any decisions. So, smiley trash wanted to see if you still had an influence over their actions. It worked like a charm!” the flower elaborated.

“That was definitely a cool piece of magic, y’know? Never seen anyone, let alone a human summon up a keyboard like that! Could you imagine the things you could do with that thing? Golly, I get a tingling just thinking about the chaos you could cause!” Flowey cheered. Okay. If that flower honestly thought you were going to pull a RESET here of all places, he was definitely wrong. And the stern glare your giving Flowey shows it. “Alright, I see, goody two shoes. I won’t suggest it again. Let’s just report back to the trash.”

**“already here,”** echo’s Sans’ voice. **“so… looks like ya still have power over this timeline after all.”** You nod solemnly. That’s probably the end of the trust line Sans has with you. You had the world at your fingertips now, whether you wanted it to be or not. **“can i trust you to be responsible with your power this time?”** Sans questions, looking you in the eye. “I promise,” You tell him. Sans’ posture relaxes a bit. **“alright. i still trust ya, but we’ll all know if you try anything,”** Sans decides, letting you off the hook for now. You give the skeleton another nod. **“i’m pretty sure you know you way over to the ruins from here, kid. that’s the next meeting spot. i’ll see both of you there,”** Sans waves, before rounding a corner. His slippers echo no further after he takes his shortcut.

Looks like your walking your way over to the ruins, with Flowey. This feels like another test. Sans may say he trusts you, but, with the way things are going, he’s probably testing how trustworthy you really are. A test of endurance lies ahead, seeing as you had to walk across two areas, with Flowey of all monsters in tow. Earning the trust of those who you’ve come to love inside and outside of a game…  
  
It fills you with _DETERMINATION._


	6. Consistent Ongoing Renewable Energy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flowey answers a burning question of yours.

Overall, Flowey wasn’t as bad as you thought he would be.  
  
Sure, the flower would spit some offensive comments now and then, but all things considered, he was very well behaved. You had started walking a little while ago; Flowey saying what Flowey wants to say without any consequences. He usually spat things of random conversation. Like “that monster is an idiot,” or “this puzzle is just stupid,” and, most often, “I’m bored.” You couldn’t lie to yourself, you were bored, too.  
  
The underground was a lot larger than you expected, how the monsters felt it to be a prison eluded you when you first saw its size, but something Toriel had said while you played the game the first time you spared her. “The ruins are very small once you get used to them…” you silently quoted aloud. Flowey gives you an odd look. “Sorry, talking to myself. I haven’t been out of my house in a very long time…” you tell him. “Pfft. You’re technically still inside it, idiot,” Flowey hisses at you. “Yeah, I guess… The underground is a lot bigger than I anticipated,” you respond, a bit absentminded. Flowey rolls his eyes.  
  
You didn’t have time to look at the celling stars when Undyne first rushed you to Waterfall. Now that you had a minute to actually see them…well…the game’s retro graphics may have looked pretty, but they didn’t do the actual cave justice. Those sparkling rocks were the most beautiful thing you had seen in a very long time. “I actually asked someone about those rocks during one of my runs through this place,” Flowey comments. You begin diverting your attention to him again. “I learned they do the same thing as firefly butts, with all the chemical reactions and stuff,” continues the flower, clearly thinking about something. “Who told you that?” You ask, curious now. Flowey lowers his head as he speaks. _“…Dr. W.D Gaster.”_  
  
That name…you knew it would show up again eventually. The name of the first royal scientist, the one when created the core, and fell into his own creation, spreading his existence across time and space, becoming one with non-existence in the void, and the biggest known mystery in the game. There were so many theories about the supposed skeleton that was most likely named Wing Ding Gaster, and because the creator of the game hadn’t confirmed anything about the royal scientist, you personally didn’t know what to believe about him. Now, though, there was someone you could talk to who probably knew more about the game than anyone else in the known universe, this world was this person’s purgatory, after all.  
  
“Flowey…? What do you know about the previous royal scientist?” you dared to ask. Flowey turned around and gave you a cold look in the eye. “Idiot, don’t you know it’s rude to talk about someone who might be listening?” Flowey spits. That ‘might’ in the middle of that sentence was new. How was Gaster involved in all of this? Sans looked like he knew something about it, but you knew you wouldn’t get anything out of him anytime soon, so you turned to Flowey. “Why would you care?” You ask, trying to hide the almost obvious ‘reverse psychology’ tone in your voice. Flowey ponders a moment. “Why would I care…?” he questions aloud. “I’m incapable of caring, so I guess I can be rude all I want,” The flower decides, giving you a mischievous look. “Alright, I’ll tell you everything I know about that old fool, but you better listen, because I’m only telling you once, because this may be the only opportunity we have alone,” Flowey tells you.  
  
“It all started many years ago, before I was even a flower, actually, I wasn’t actually able to reset like you must have thought when I first brought up the glowing rock subject. I was with my best friend when I first met him…Dr. W.D Gaster, the royal scientist and lead on the _Consistent Ongoing Renewable Energy Project,_ better known as the _C.O.R.E_ Project. He had two very talented assistants in his research, Sans, his personal understudy, and Alphys, Sans’ most trusted partner. At the time, it was thought that that smiley trashbag would take Dr. Gaster’s job when he retired, not only because Sans was his understudy, but because they were also very close friends.  
  
Sans and Gaster had many classified side-projects that not even Asgore knew of, including the creation of Anti-Human weapons for when it came time to take back the surface from the humans. Even before Asgore re-declared war, Gaster and Sans had some resentment toward humans, most likely because the skeleton sub-species of monster was nearly wiped out during the war, and most of the remaining skeletons had “fallen down” from a lack of hope after the war.  
  
Back on the topic of anti-human weapons, the most successful weapon became known as a magically enhanced blasting weapon that increased magical capabilities based on one’s level of violence, and they are a pain in the rear end. That Smiley Trashbag eventually started calling them “Gaster Blasters” in honor of the guy who vanished so shortly after their creation. Oh, and let me tell you how broken that trash was when it happened.  
  
The newest anti-human weapon was being built at the time, the DT Extractor, to leak away the biggest advantage humans had in the first war, their DETERMINATION. The humans would be nothing to the monsters without their greatest weapon. The original DT Extractor was being built in a restricted area of the C.O.R.E, because the place was still under construction. My best friend and I were greeting him the day it happened, and he answered my question about the rock, telling me it was ‘bioluminescent’ or something. He then left in a hurry into the C.O.R.E.  
  
I don’t know everything about what happened inside afterwards, but I was able to squeeze some juicy tidbits from that trashbag by pushing the right buttons over a few hundred resets, he is a tough nut to crack, after all. From what the trash told me, there was a miscalculation in the DT Extractor’s blueprints, causing the first and only beta test to go horribly wrong. The device when haywire with energy, and Chara wasn’t looking all that good from what I remember that day, honestly I think it was the day they came up with their suicide plan, and the machine blasted into smithereens, blowing away both scientists involved. Sans managed to hit the guard rail with his short stature, but the unfortunately taller Dr. Gaster ended up tripping over it, falling head over heels into the C.O.R.E’s energy processing system and getting his magical energy all chopped up and thrown everywhere, causing him to cease existing, leaving Sans and his project the only proof the scientist ever existed in the first place. And, after that day, the trashbag quit science altogether. What a sadly ever after, the end,”  
  
Flowey finished his story, glancing around everywhere to make sure no one else was listening. It was quite the tale after all. You made a silent agreement to pretend that Flowey never said anything on the subject during the little walk you were on. You had sat down under the star rocks some way through, and now it was time to get up. People may begin wondering where you two were back in the ruins, after all. You picked up the Flowey-pot and continued your walk toward the ruins, ignoring the creeping feeling of eyes burning into your back and silently, you hoped, the blue and yellow glow behind you was just the natural lighting of Waterfall.


	7. Stirring Old Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finish your journey to the ruins.

You felt the obligated to take an umbrella from the basket.  
  
Despite being past most of the “rain” in waterfall at this point, you still felt compelled to take the bright pink umbrella with you as you passed, opening it and putting it over your head. Flowey just gave you another look, probably rationalising it as you being the weirdest and stupidest human he’d ever met while giving you this look. You honestly didn’t care at this point. Flowey didn’t, so why should you? After all, “weird” was you secret codename at this point, and unlike most people who took offence, you embraced it. In your opinion, normal didn’t exist, and people could call you weird all they wanted and you would take it as a compliment. You may be weird, but at least it was fun to be weird.  
  
You then found what you were looking for. There was a statue with a curve of stones in front of it, being rained on. You carefully slipped the handle of the open pink umbrella into the statue’s hold, and took a step back. Inside the statue, a music box starts to play. You absentmindedly began humming the tune, because you loved it so much, the game’s soundtrack was amazing and if there was one song you could depend on to play and make you feel better, despite being in a video game, it was this one. It refreshed memories of your first playthough of Undertale, and how wonderful it was to understand and save all these characters. Though, mostly, it reminded you of Asriel, and how tragic his and Chara’s story actually was. It was then you heard someone crying.  
  
Looking at the flower pot in your hands, you could see Flowey shudder every few seconds. Oh. It probably wasn’t a good idea to bring Flowey along on your feels trip. You decided to leave at that, you didn’t want to give Flowey any worthless pity he would snap at you about when his ordeal was over. The music box’s tune slowly began to fade as you progressed, and you decided to take one last detour. Instead of continuing left, you moved to the piano room, deciding to have fun with the little puzzle that the room presented. You put Flowey on the piano’s top and sat down, attempting to test the notes on the piano.  
  
Except none of the keys would play.  
  
“Huh,” you mumbled. “Idiot. That piano is waterlogged, so its wet strings can’t play anything,” Flowey grumbled. Waterlogged? Then how could you play it in game? Suddenly, you realise. With a swipe of your hand, you willed you magic little soul laptop back into existence and open its screen. Your screen is set to the piano room, so it’s a sign you can access the puzzle. Curiously, you tap the “Z” key on your device.  
  
A piano note plays, not just in the laptop’s audio, but, you hear the actual piano in front of you vibrate and sing the note as well. This laptop was really cool. You tap Z again and the note sings its piece. Why could you only beat this puzzle in game? Was it only for players like you to solve, because it was a silly joke waiting in the upper room? This world never ceases to amaze you. And as such, you play the first few notes of “His Theme” on the little piano, technically speaking, and you could hear the wall ahead crumble. Hopefully no one would mind all the detours. You wanted to see this “legendary artifact” for yourself, after all. You closed you magic laptop and made it vanish, grabbed the Flowey Pot and headed ahead to the room in front of you.  
  
It was a rubber ball. Sitting on the stone pedestal in front of you was a bright red rubber ball. No wonder the annoying dog swoops in and takes it in the game. Still, you decide to stick with the script and pick up the artifact. You bounce it around a few times, and it squeaks when it hits the walls or the ground. You decide you want to take it with you, and yet you’re carrying too many dogs.  
  
Wait, how did that thought get in your head? You sit in stunned silence, holding the rubber ball, contemplating what had just crossed your mind. Curious, you open your little laptop again and open your inventory. Listed are two items: Plush and Annoying Dog. You definitely saw this one coming. So, you deployed the dog.  
  
You watch the little white dog snatch the ball out of your hand and…absorb it. Honestly, the artifact just kind of…vanished…the moment it touched the dog. You nor your flowery companion could contemplate what had just happened. You could only star in stunned silence as the dog walked through the wall. At least it didn’t take your plushie as a chew toy. With all’s well that ends well, you decided it was time to leave and really head for the ruins. These delays would probably just annoy everyone at this point.  
  
After another stroll through Snowdin and the forest behind it, you found the door to the ruins wide open. You entered and walked the corridors of Toriel’s basement, finding yourself in her home, where everyone was waiting. You carefully handed Flowey back to Frisk and took a seat by the fireplace between Asgore and Frisk. As much as you wanted to sit next to Sans, you could see a hint of distrust still in his eyesockets, despite his ever-present smile. So your inner Sans fan would have to be quelled until you were certain he wouldn’t get at you for being the anomaly. After all, he had said it would only slide for a while, and “a while” is an undeterminable amount of time in a situation like this. Though, funnily enough, your position put you across from him. Guess you couldn’t quell that inner fan enough.  
  
Toriel enters with slices of pie for everyone. “Oh good, it looks like everyone has arrived!” She cheers happily. “Now then, before we continue, how about you tell us about your exiting journey here, young player?” Toriel asks, her tone sweet. “It was pretty easy-going. No monsters attempted to fight me or anything, Flowey was more well behaved than I was expecting and, well, we should get another fish to look at your piano puzzle, Undyne,” you stated.  
  
“Why’s that?” Undyne questioned. “Well, a few notes weren’t working right. We’d need to call a piano tuna,” you replied. Sans and Toriel immediately burst into laughter, Asgore and Alphys chuckled slowly, Undyne gave you a bewildered look and Papyrus screeched. “SANS! HOW DARE YOU INFECT PLAYER WITH YOUR AWFUL, AWFUL PUNS!” the taller skeleton cried. So, apperantly “Player” was your name, now. Well, heck of a lot better than “Anomaly”. More laughs and conversation was shared about everyone’s day from that point on, until Sans broke the chatter.  
  
**“okay, everyone. we’ve wasted enough time and we need to get back on topic. finding a way into player’s world before gaster destroys it.”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Learning more and more about your nerdy persona's personality are we? What is normal, anyway?


	8. The Absolute

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some scars don't heal, some people never forget.

“You mean it’s already happening?!”  
  
Undyne had screeched the remark before anyone else had the chance to react. Nonetheless, everyone else in the room had felt the same kind of shock. “B-but Sans! How are we supposed to get there?! It already took us forever t-to drag one player o-out of the void…a-and we don’t even know i-if our magical energy will sustain in th-the other world…” Alphys stuttered. Sans huffed in response.  
  
**“you don’t think I don’t know that? i’ve been calculating possible outcomes of this for weeks, and i may have found a way to get us into player’s world before it’s too late, but it’s a very small window of opportunity,”** the skeleton explained. The light in his sockets began to vanish again. **“because of all the determination Gaster has gathered from the anomalies he’d taken, he has enough energy in his soul to stabilize a magical energy in player’s world. that’s our window of opportunity,”** Sans elaborated. “A-are you suggesting we f-follow Dr. Gaster into Player’s world?” Alphys exclaimed, Sans responding with a nod. “It’s definitely risky, Sans. Gaster could catch us in the act of following him, and we’d be playing right into his hands…” Undyne reasons.  
  
“Plus w-we don’t know how long th-the stable m-magical stream will last! I-if it collapses, we’ll be r-reduced to mere physical matter on th-the spot, or worse!” Alphys cries. Mumbling is heard throughout the circle about the arguments being presented. You honestly didn’t know where you stood on the issue, plus you had your own personal questions. Why was Gaster so set on destroying your world? Would you ever get back what was taken from you? What happened to everyone else who was kidnapped? What will happen to them when Gaster uses their stolen determination? Why is Sans so sure that Gaster can be followed without being caught? You decided not to voice your questions because they seemed unimportant at the time.  
  
**“I know there are risks involved in this, and I know the consequences that could be involved if this plan fails, but is there really any other option?”** Sans’ tone was dark and unsettling. More murmurs circled the room. **“Anyways, I know what to do. Alphys helped me bring it into the room being renovated down the hall earlier. I rewired it to help us reach the world Player comes from, but only a select few will be going,”** Sans explains. **“I’ve already selected the candidates; I just need their cooperation in this.”**  
  
Sans’ eyes flicker back to light. **“Player will obviously be coming, and along with them, I want Flowey, Undyne and Alphys to follow,”** the skeleton’s gaze falls to the three he mentioned. Flowey rolls his eyes, but agrees to go, Undyne gains a new look of confidence and Alphys eventually nods in agreement. “Now that we’ve assembled our team, we can go and stop that Gaster punk from destroying the world!” Undyne cheers. It’s followed by many cheers of agreement from the supporting monsters in the room. Frisk gives a large smile in your direction, and you can’t help but smile back. You were going to get through this. Together, with your new friends, you were going to save the world. Everyone’s combined cheering fills you with HOPE, and you can feel your soul flickering with newfound strength. Now, all you have to do, is wait.  
  
-  
  
Toriel finished tucking you into bed. The spare beds had been brought out for all who needed them that night, and you were definitely tired after a long day of discovering. Cuddling your Sans plush to your chest, you listened to the last few lines of the bedtime story being read to Frisk across the room. Slowly, you began to shut your tired eyes.  
  
You were surrounded by a numb darkness. You recognized it immediately. The void was around you again, in a lifeless, gripping shadow you couldn’t escape. It would be no use calling for help, because nobody would come. You were alone in the dark, with only the pounding of your heart to let you know you still lived. A harsh, white glow formed in front of you. When your eyes finally adjusted, you found the light’s source to be that of a message, one you knew all too well.  
  
_You think you are above consequences._  
  
That was a familiar line. But, they weren’t supposed to be in this world, like this! You deleted the file that gives your soul to them, therefore the game doesn’t know you did the genocide run, and yet, how was the line being displayed now? You were sure that file was gone, and yet, the line was displayed in front of you now. And then, it changed.  
  
_You should know better than that by now, _________  
  
Okay, that was freaky. The game knew your real name and it was not cool in the slightest. You began looking around in a panic, trying to find whatever was behind this sick joke. “Hey, who are you?! Show yourself!” You shouted into the darkness.  
  
_I thought I told you that we would be together forever, partner._  
  
Another quote on those lines. “Alright, quit it! Whoever you are, stop quoting Chara’s lines, it’s creepy!” You shout to nowhere in particular. _“Aww…you finally said it!”_ a childish voice rings out, and suddenly, the white text changes again, this time, into the shape of a person.  
_“It’s been so long since you called my name!”_  
  
Chara was there. Standing in front of you, on top of the darkness like solid ground. Their rosy cheeks lit up with a smile, and they stared in your direction with a stoic smiling expression. They approached, their grin unwavering as they smiled up at you. They had to be no older than ten, seeing them in real life, and their resemblance to Frisk was actually quite shocking. No wonder Flowey couldn’t tell them apart in the beginning. Chara’s stare bore into yours, and it felt like they were staring into your soul.  
  
_“Now then, partner. We have something to discuss regarding the problem you’ve found yourself in,”_ Chara’s tone was sickly sweet. You bit your tongue and let the demon continue, nodding in agreement. _“You will soon be returning to your own world, across the void, with your new friends. You will follow Gaster out of the abyss and determine the fate of both worlds. But, I must warn you, partner…”_ Chara’s expression slowly darkened as they approached closer. They pulled something out from behind their back, your Sans plushie.  
  
_“That comedian…. Is not to be trusted,”_ Chara held the plushy up to you, where you noticed a large gash across the center of it, with stuffing tumbling out of it. In fact, the gash looked to be just in the right position, where…. you decided to halt your train of thought there. You knew for a fact that the gash wasn’t there when you went to sleep. There could only be one culprit.  
  
“Why should I trust you, Chara?” You can’t stop the words from tumbling out. Chara chuckled in response. _“I don’t know. Why can’t the comedian trust you? Who knows what’s truth and lies anymore? What even is trust if you don’t know if it will be betrayed or not?”_ Chara tosses you the torn plushie. _“Just know that some scars never heal, and some people never forget. There’s something in all of us to drive us to do what we do,”_ the child tells you, before drawing a knife and charging at you, and bringing it down with a sickening crunch echoing from your body.  
  
-  
  
You jolt awake.  
  
It was definitely some nightmare you had last night. You searched around for your Sans plushie to find it wasn’t there. You fling around the sheets in a panic as Toriel walks in. “Are you alright, young Player?... Oh! You’re probably looking for this!” Toriel pulls out the Sans plushie from behind her back. “Frisk brought this to me a little while ago, you had dropped it from your bed and young Frisk was curious as always to see your little toy. Though while running around with it, they accidently caught it on a corner and ripped it. I fixed it as best I could, and Frisk is very sorry for wrecking it,” Toriel explains, handing you the plush. “Now, how about a nice breakfast before you go back to your world. Sans is saying it’s almost time for you to go, and you can’t save the world on an empty stomach,” the boss monster tells you cheerily, though you’re only half paying attention.  
  
You’re more focused on the stitched up scar that had a very familiar placement on your Sans plushie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, who do you trust? Sans or Chara?


	9. Yet Darker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who knows what truth and lies are anymore?

Everyone was ready to go.  
  
You had filled up on breakfast, making sure to eat quickly not to waste time. Sans led everyone going on the mission to room under renovations, where the ever-so mysterious machine lay. Everyone staying behind gave their goodbye bid their good luck to those entering the new dimension. “Goodbye everyone, it was nice meeting you all in person!” you called to your friends. Sans led you into the machine and everything faded to white, and the color held once more.  
  
You opened your eyes, and terror immediately seized your SOUL. Right in front of you, was an essence that could only be described as dark, darker yet darker. Slowly moving your gaze upward let your eyes met two very displeased sockets on a skull that was cracked in two places. You had only seen him in rumors and theories, and you didn’t know if this mystery man was the one and only Dr. W. D Gaster, but you seemed pretty convinced now. Sans had said this plan was risky, but you had every hope in your core pleading you wouldn’t walk into a trap. Curse you and your terrible luck.  
  
Where was everyone else?! You found a way to tear your eyes to look around in dismay, to see Undyne, Alphys and Flowey trapped by the infamous Gaster Followers. Sans was standing behind Gaster with an unreadable expression. “Sans! Help us!” you called to him. The dark skeleton in front of you began to smirk, as a familiar blue and yellow erupted from Sans’ eye socket, blue grasping at your soul. Thank goodness he was answering your call and dragging you to safety!  
  
Then your face met the floor. It felt like a heavy weight you could not lift from your back had suppressed you to the ground. “Wh-Sans?! What do you think you’re doing?!” you cried. “Sorry, kid. I can’t take this anymore,” He responded, keeping your soul locked in place on the ground. “Excellent work, my old friend. I knew you would pull through for me in the end,” Gaster praised. No….no! This can’t be happening! Sans had betrayed you, and there was nothing you could do. You were pathetic, weak and vulnerable like this and your heart stopped as Gaster spoke the last line you would hear.  
  
“Finish them off.”  
  
Stabbing pain wracked your body, and drained away the little HP you had in seconds. It burned, it was short but it burned so much as it felt like your soul was leaking. Blue and gold bore into your eyes as your vison blurred and shadowed, searing pain soon becoming nothing.  
  
-  
  
_“Greetings, partner. It looks like you had a rough time back home,”_  
  
You groaned loudly at nothing in particular, lying on your stomach with no visible ground beneath you. “What do you want, Chara?” you hissed. The child appeared in front of you moments later, looming over your defeated form, but you didn’t acknowledge their presence any further. Your chest hurt, a lot. And you could only sit in silence as you comprehended how Sans had betrayed you for Gaster. The whole thing had been just one big setup and you were too star struck to realize it. Way to go, Player! You just gave all of reality a big, fat Game Over.  
  
Chara looked at your defeated form a while longer, their sickly sweet smile slowly fading to a more somber look. “This sucks, doesn’t it? The whole being dead thing?” you joked, though it wasn’t funny. Chara let a small chuckle loose. _“Tell me about it,”_ they huffed. You would usually laugh at something like that. The pain in your chest seemed to still persist, and you felt like something was missing. _“I know that look, Flowey makes that look all the time,”_ Chara commented. You attempted to again comprehend the mysterious child’s cryptic dialogue. _“It’s the look of someone who’s lost their SOUL,”_ they elaborated. You thought you would feel shock at the revelation, but you just lay there, mere logical thought invaded your mind, without a second toward emotion.  
  
Oh. That’s why you couldn’t feel anything.  
  
That made sense, you had thought, with nothing really attached to it. The feeling of nothingness reminded you of the harsh grip of the void, but now you were unbothered by it. And even the pain in your chest slowly numbed to nothing after a while. You continued speaking to Chara about nothing in particular, seeing as you were now stuck with them. _“The souls of your dimension are very unique, I must say…”_ they threw into the wind, piquing your curiosity just a bit. Apparently you could still feel that. _“Yes, they operate like a normal human soul, but with much more power than the ones from my world. There is also no true defining trait to your kind of soul. One minute it would be green, when it would fade to yellow, or even share many traits at the same time, making them tougher and more determined than anything in my world,”_ Chara explained. Interesting, for a little bit, but now you were bored.  
  
_“Sans absorbed that soul of yours after he destroyed you,”_ the fallen child huffed. As if you couldn’t feel more betrayed. Oh, wait, you physically couldn’t because a skeleton you thought you could trust just went and took your soul. You were mumbling under your breath. Chara ended up pulling out your plushie. You looked at it in disgust, the trashbag’s stupid grin mocking you. What was once warmth in the toy’s smile had melted away, and you felt malice, and huffed in small pleasure looking at the scar still left on the plush toy’s chest, right where Sans would be stricken down during a genocide run. Chara piped up again. _“You still think you are above consequences. How do you think Sans felt when you played around with your little game’s many endings, hmm? Just because you can stich up the scar doesn’t mean it will go away,”_ they teased. You huffed. Stupid kid.  
  
_“Well, it doesn’t matter now. If we truly want to save both our worlds, we need to get your soul back,”_ Chara stated. “Why, there’s no point. Gaster has everyone held captive and Sans is following him around like a lost puppy. There’s nothing we can do,” you spat in response. _“Lost puppy, huh?”_ Chara smirked, growing an idea in that enigma of a brain they had. _“We can get him to RESET. All we need is the proper vessel to go and convince him,”_ the child beamed. “Seriously? Get SANS of all monsters to reset?! Not happening in any timeline ever,” you retorted. _“He’s the only one with a proper determination level powerful enough to reset the timeline because he absorbed your soul. Do you have any better ideas?”_ Chara snapped. You gave an annoyed huff in response.  
  
_“Alright then. I can easily get you a vessel determined enough for you to control. Sans’ new soul is too tough for me to take over, so we’ll have to go for the next best thing instead. Get your keyboard ready."_


	10. Hatred

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He's not your favorite anymore...

The keyboard in front of you was unsettling.

You had managed to summon it, as per Chara’s instructions, but it just looked so…wrong. First of all, it lacked any color you had seen in it the first time you brought it forward. It glowed dimly, but was ice cold in your grip. The gray feeling made your chest hurt. The keyboard showed what you had become without your soul: a lifeless machine that was meant to control.  
You looked at the keyboard a while longer, when the screen glowed and loaded Undertale. The game was a lot brighter than the pathetic, cold keyboard in your hands. It was so bright and happy in comparison, and you just entered the title screen. Pressing Z on the keyboard activated a SAVE file.

**Flowey LV??? 999:999  
** Real World  
Continue …………. 

Chara held their end of the bargain and found a vessel determined enough for you to control. Though you still had your doubts. Flowey wasn’t the most trusted monster around, and convincing Sans was going to be a near impossible challenge. But you NEEDED your Soul.

You hated feeling nothing. You hated the cold pain in your chest reminding you something was warm there. Now it was taken from you, by someone you _trusted_. And he stabbed you in the back when you needed him most. Now he had your soul, your emotions, your ability to love, and you wanted to show him so badly how much of a real monster you could be, but there would be no point. The only thing you had was your control, and even that was slipping, and that damn plush keeps smiling at you. 

You promptly tore the toy’s arm off in frustration, pretending Sans had felt it. You needed the stupid skeleton alive to get your soul back, so the plush would do for your revenge acts for now. Because that’s how revenge worked, didn’t it? Every time someone wanted revenge, it would be carried out and hurt another person who would want their revenge in an endless cycle of stupid hatred. You hated Sans at this point, glowering at your keyboard, moving Flowey through your world in search of the idiot who took your soul. Great, now your thoughts are starting to sound like Flowey.

By now, the toy was a mess of stuffing on the floor. You had made the thing yourself, and it had taken a lot of time, but now you had destroyed what you so deeply cared about when you could care, the last of your humanity stripped away, and it was his fault, his stupid fault you had torn your work to shreds and you took extra “joy” in tearing is smile to nothing. You pretended the stuffing on the ground was the bastard’s dust blowing in the non-existent breeze. If only Sans could know your dark hatred toward him right now. Needless to say, he was no longer your favorite.

…

Sans took in the stars on the surface of this world. He had recently finished off the anomaly and, per Gaster’s orders, had taken their rainbow Soul as his own. It was a shame, too. He really liked that kid, but, he knew his job. He couldn’t get attached to the anomaly, but he had to get them to fall into the trap. Gaster had commanded it, and it was a plan they had decided on a long time ago. Ever since the appearance of the grey door in waterfall, beside his sentry post. He had met his long lost friend and mentor after so many long years, and Sans trusted Gaster with his life.

The plan was simple. End the world of the anomalies and make sure nothing could reset again. As time progressed, the plan grew more and more dangerous, and monsters around more and more suspicious, especially after the Anti-Reseter was finished (great name, right?) and monsters learned the truth. They needed a false hope so they could get off his and Gaster’s backs. So, Sans took a recently trapped anomaly from the void using his machine and brought it to his world, so the monsters could cling to that instead of nose around what he was doing. He just wasn’t expecting someone as nice and fun as you.

The way you talked, to how you knew some of the best puns, to just how much you cared for the world despite previous timelines, it had given Sans second thoughts about the plan. If there was one trait in the wonky, multi-trait soul he now had, it was Kindness. You really only wanted to make up for your shortcomings and actually get to know the people who you had control over, and now Sans had taken it from you. He couldn’t help imagining how betrayed you would feel if you were still alive. But, you were in the way, and Sans could not bear another reset.

A sudden wave of anger, sadness and betrayal flowed from Sans’ chest. He definitely wasn’t feeling those before, and it had come out of nowhere. Sans suddenly felt a lot more like trash than he should, and felt the sudden urge to tear plush toys in his image apart by the seams. He looked himself over in the mirror and felt his own grin was mocking him. Was this…what you were feeling? Sans had utterly crushed who you were and he could feel your fury within him. He wasn’t expecting to feel your emotions, and he definitely didn’t want to feel how broken you were, he was broken enough as is.

More walking around was in order. Gaster was still gathering determination from the nearby anomalies, so Sans didn’t have to worry about being spotted. Curious, and with spare time, he took a peak at his new Soul. A small rainbow heart was encased inside his inverted white one, trapped, with no escape. And he couldn’t shake the feeling that the Soul should not be his, ever. It was someone else’s being he had taken away, after all. But, he had to do it. For his trusted mentor.

…

Flowey was stuck in the grasp of a Gaster follower, with nowhere to go. It and it’s collogues had everyone from the mission locked up, and he had recently watched that Smiley Trashbag kill you in cold blood. The one person who truly understood Flowey was dead and the trash had their soul. Reality was screwed. Suddenly, a red light had glowed from nowhere and Flowey found the ability to Save. But, there was no resetting. Darn it. Flowey was compelled to leave the flower pot, and he used his pellets to do so, killing the follower, escaping with Undyne and Alphys, who were horrified by Flowey’s actions. He just shrugged and told the duo to follow.

…

The battle ended with dust. You left the soulless marker off the Fight button and sighed with satisfaction. If you were going to get everything to reset via Sans, or reality crashed, who matters at that point. It was a lose-lose situation for all involved anyway. Besides, because of your extensive knowledge, you always knew one thing for sure.

**Genocide was always the faster run.**


	11. Blind Puppy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Perspectives have a way of sneaking up on people.

Stars are pretty.

Sans decided this while walking around, trying to ignore the clutching sadness and betrayal in his chest. The rainbow soul is his own flickered dimly, making its presence known and making sure Sans knew that it was very upset. But the stout skeleton couldn’t respond to its sadness. He wasn’t going to apologize, this plan was made a long time ago, and no anomalies would make him go back on the plan, regardless of how they felt. His thoughts only hurt the trapped rainbow soul more as it left an ache in his chest while he proceeded.

“NGAAAH!”

Undyne pounced Sans instantly. “Alright, you lazy PUNK! You’re gonna own up to why you’re doing this right now!” she roared. “Why did you kill Player-Punk? WHY?” Undyne screamed, spears at the ready. Sans held his hands up in a lazy manner. “Hey, Undyne, chill. I’m just doing what a trusted friend of mine asked…” Sans drawled. “Grrr! You killed someone for a monster trying to destroy reality! Player-Punk never did anything to you!” Undyne growled. “You don’t know that,” Sans’ tone became cold, and a wave of shame built in his chest. He remembered what you did, your soul, complying with the feelings you wanted to feel. “Stop, you idiot. We need him alive, remember?” Flowey growled from below. “Need me alive, huh? What for?” Sans questioned, eyes still dark. “Resetting the timeline, PUNK! Your weird new soul is the one in charge of that, now!” Undyne trumpeted. Flowey bright a vine to his forehead. “IDIOT! You just revealed out plan!” he growled. “Oh, so that’s how it’s gonna be, huh? Good luck with that,” Sans stated before vanishing.

…

Sans could hear Undyne’s roars from where had taken a shortcut to. He had gone further than anticipated, considering his new level of power. So, he was the one in charge of the resets, huh? Though, why would the rag tag group of monsters want a reset? And…how did they get free? “Sans, we have something to talk about,” Gaster sounded behind him. “Oh. Hey, G. Whatcha wanna talk about?” Sans asked. “I went to check on our prisoners, but all I found was dust, and foot tracks leading through them,” Gaster stated. “Why would they kill their way out of that situation…? Unless Flowey went back on his promise…Gh, stupid flower,” Sans groaned. Your soul flickered with sadness. “It won’t matter after this, once reality has faded, everyone will be safe with me,” Gaster told Sans. “You promise they’ll be safe in the void with you?” Sans asked. “I assured you before, and I’ll assure you again. They will be safe with me,” Gaster replied. Sans nodded and the taller skeleton in black vanished.

Suddenly, Sans is surrounded by a crushing darkness. It held on his soul tightly and felt like the darkness was draining the life out of him. It was terrifying, to say the least. All he could see was darkness as it crushed his bones and screams called in the darkness, screams of voices he did not recognize but suffering all the same. The darkness threatened to consume him as a blue light glowed in his direction, bringing him back to reality.  
“The hell was that about?” Sans groaned, finding himself on the ground. Was that…one of your memories?! Now he was seeing your memories too?! What in the name of dog was that crushing darkness about?! Was that place the….no, he can’t have second thoughts now. He had made up his mind long ago. This had to be done, or the monsters would suffer forever. No other decision would sway him, not even your weird soul’s memories. It had to be an illusion. Flowey wasn’t the only one in on trying to get Sans to reset. Like that would ever happen, undoing all of this hard work just to go back to an endless cycle of stupid humans playing with their little game until all monsters are all but burned out? Not gonna happen, ever. Sans was solid set on it. Even if it meant bad things happen to those he trusted, there would be no swaying to the other side. He would not get attached, and no one would attach him. Sadness and regret flowed from your crybaby soul, and Sans groaned. It was getting harder to tell his emotions from yours as time went on, but he couldn’t relent his control for a second.

…

After Flowey had finished both chewing Undyne out and dodging spears at the same time, the search for Sans continued. The world looked more and more empty as time went on, as blood and bodies scattered the streets. “Egh. At least you don’t see the grisly wounds on a terrified monster’s face after they die, humans and their physical matter are just gross when they don’t turn to dust,” Undyne pointed out, poking a body with her spear. “U-Undyne! Wh-what have I told you about saving m-magical energy!” Alphys cried. “Yeah, yeah. We don’t know who long the stable magic connection will last in this world and we could get crushed into physical matter and all that,” huffed Undyne. “Come on, then. We need to find him before that happens,” Flowey urged, continuing on his way.

…

You stared into the monitor of your laptop a while longer. You continued moving Flowey around, trying to find where the stupid skeleton ran off to. You would find him and you would make him reset. It was a near impossible challenge, but you were determined. You would make sure he would pay for what he did to you, even if you would not do it personally. It wouldn’t matter how far he ran, or where he could hide, because you would find him. You could find him on the other side of the planet if he decided to go there. But, time was running short.

The void had already begun to consume both worlds, and if it were to finish, you would never be able to get your soul back. You needed Sans to reset, and you would do whatever it takes to do so, even if it mean Sans learning the truth about Gaster the hard way, because you knew he was lying. You knew what the void was actually like. Sans was just a Blind puppy following his stupid master around because of how nice he was in the past. Well this is not the past anymore. Blind puppy?

More like blind puppet.


	12. Hide in Plain Sight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just to lighten the mood a bit.

It’s official, Sans hates Determination.

Sans had been trying to avoid Flowey and his crew for ages now, but he was relentless when it came to things like this. It was aggravating running around the surface trying to get the flower off his back, and his own determination burned with the will not to give up, which was the worst part. Determination was seeping from your soul and forcing Sans’ being to just keep going despite him wanting to stop, and it was awful. The power to change fate could go and take a hike as far as Sans was concerned. But, he was stuck with it, and as longs as your soul’s were fused, it would stay stuck a while.

Another shortcut took Sans away from another attempt at Flowey catching him, outside a more populated area. The city ahead glowed with light and seemed a beacon in the darkness. Perhaps if Sans were to hide in plain sight, he could lose Flowey for a while. He pulled his hood over his head and hurried into town before Flowey could notice him.

A moment to finally relax. Flowey was nowhere in sight and after a few minutes, Sans finally had a moment to catch his breath. There was plenty to take in around here, after all. Many flashy signs with advertisements lay on the taller buildings around, with massive T. Vs and other devices, like cell phones that you could control by touching the screen. Needless to say, the tech here was a ton more advanced than the underground ever could be. The humans bustled around in a mess that could only be called organized chaos. They were everywhere, with all the young and old tending to this chaos as daily life. Sans wouldn’t last a day in a place so crowded.

“Wow, your Sans Cosplay is awesome!” someone said to him randomly. Sans turned to see a young human no older than seventeen behind him, wearing a bright red scarf. “You going to the Undertale Con, too? They’re holding a big ceremony for all those who went missing in those kidnappings after all! I’m still working on my Papyrus cosplay, and I just finished the scarf today! What do ya think?” the young human asked, gesturing to the scarf around their neck. “Uh, yeah, cool, kid…” Sans replied. “I just can’t get over how real your cosplay is dude! It’s like Sans actually jumped out of the game!” chattered the human. “Yeah, that would make for one funny story, kid. You could write a bad fanfic or something,” Sans commented.

“Hope to see you there, don’t be a lazybones!” The kid called before running off. He had to keep telling himself not to get attached. The humans here were bad. They had screwed with the timeline as if it were some game, because it was some game, and had no second thoughts. They had to be stopped. This was the only way to make sure everyone could live in peace forever. No matter how nice someone seemed, there was always a darkness behind them, and the anomalies were unforgivable in their acts against the time-space continuum itself, no matter how nice, kind and funny they may be. Sans shook off your soul feeding him emotions again, now was not the time to feel regret.

But, a small part of Sans knew that the regret he was feeling wasn’t yours.

…

The town was definitely big, and Flowey definitely wasn’t in the mood to go hunting through all the humans that were around, but they needed to find Sans and get him to reset ASAP. Undyne spearheaded a way through the crowd and continued to look for a blue hooded skeleton with a human soul. Alphys took up the back, hoping they would find him soon. In desperate hours like this, Alphys had usually thought about what her anime protagonists would do in her shoes.  
  
“Wow, you guys look awesome, too!”

A kid in a red scarf had run up to Alphys and Undyne while Flowey did best to stay out of sight. “You look so real! I hope you’re coming to the Undertale Con like that guy dressed like Sans, too! In case you’re wondering, I’m going as the Great Papyrus! Nyeh Heh Heh! I made this scarf myself!” the human explained. “Fuhuhuhu! I’m sure the real Papyrus would love to hear that!” Undyne commented. “Y-yeah, you s-said you saw a S-Sans with r-r-really accurate cosplay, r-right? Where d-did you see him l-last…. he’s a p-p-part of our group.” Alphys stuttered. “That make so much sense! You guys must be really dedicated to the game, huh? Anyway, I saw him headed toward the tower in the center of the city, where they’re holding the event. It’s for the big ceremony toward everyone who got snatched up by some extremist Undertale hater. It’s also well-guarded, so they don’t get in and take more people who are just trying to celebrate a great game and its fandom!” The kid elaborated.  
  
“Okay, thanks, punk!” Undyne called, as the trio raced toward the center tower. And, wow there’s a lot of Sans cosplayers. This is going to be one needle in a haystack situation none of the members of Flowey’s little crew signed up for. “Just act casually, this is a group of videogame obsessed idiots who don’t know crap, so don’t bring it up and cause mass panic,” Flowey whispered, before going to blend in with the golden flowers around the grounds of the event.

“Okay, this can’t be that hard, he’s around here hiding from us among all these cosplayer guys, so we just need to find the real Sans,” Undyne whispered to Alphys. “Uh…Alphys…?” Said yellow reptilian scientist began squealing in the direction of a photoshoot. All the Alphys and Undyne cosplayers were together and it was just too cute for Alphys herself to ignore. Undyne couldn’t tear her eyes away either. “Hey, you two! Get in the shot!” Someone called from the crowd. Hell yeah they were getting in on the shot. Undyne dragged Alphys front and center and gave her a huge smooch while the crowd applauded and took pictures.  
  
It was time to switch a while after that, and Alphys was blushing madly. “This is really cool,” Undyne commented. “Y-yeah…it is…” Alphys stuttered. “Alright can we have all the Sans and Papyrus on set please, all Sans and Papyrus, All AUs!” called the announcer. “Straighten up, Alphy! Sans might be in that crowd!” Undyne told her girlfriend.

…

Sans arrived at the center tower and was taking a look around. Man, there were some dedicated fans. He was the person that most people were playing as, much to his surprise, but not to your soul’s. After all, you wanted to leave the house and go to that con as Sans as well when the day came about. Man, does time ever fly. There was a photoshoot a little way from his location. “Can we have Alphys and Undyne together, please! All Alphys, Undyne and AUs!” An announcer called. Cosplayers came from the crowd and jumped into the fray, doing every shippy thing imaginable. Two cosplayers waltzed front and center and smooched. Wait a minute…. those were the real things! Perhaps this was the best hiding spot if Sans couldn’t tell the real monsters from the cosplayers.

“Alright can we have all the Sans and Papyrus on set please, all Sans and Papyrus, All AUs!” called the announcer. Alright, Sans would bite. He’s just on break waiting for the inevitable anyways.


	13. Undying Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Spoiler:**  
>  There's some major character death in this chapter.

The kid from earlier was standing next to him.

“Hey, It’s you again! Wanna to do an awesome skelebro pose together for the shoot?” He asked, and if stars could be in human eyes, they would be. The child was now fully in costume, and it was pretty convincing for a human’s work. “Sure, I’ll bite,” Sans replied, standing next to the kid, somewhere in the back row. The kid made a “Nyeh heh heh!” before standing beside Sans, cameras flashing.

…

“I-I don’t see him a-anywhere…” Alphys concluded, looking at the crowd. “Alright, I’m getting sick of looking through faces, let’s look through SOULs,” Grumbled Undyne. “Undyne, wait! Y-You can’t just-!” Alphys warned, but it was too late. Undyne summoned her magic spear and swept it across the air, turning the souls everyone in the area green. “As long as you’re green, you can’t escape! Now where are you, Sansy?!” Undyne roared into the crowd, which was stunned silent by the fish woman’s sudden outburst.

“Wait, is that the REAL Undyne?!” Someone in the crowd called. “Hell yeah I am!” Undyne called back. The crowd burst in to exited and disbelieving murmurs. “Now, Where’s the real Sans!? If you show yourself, your crimes of murdering Player-Punk and association with Gaster in his plot to destroy reality MIGHT be given a less harsh punishment! NGAAHH!” Undyne roared. Alphys was still sweating with worry.

…

“Dude, do you really think that’s the real Undyne? From the game itself?!” The kid beside Sans asked. “I wouldn’t take it too seriously kiddo,” replied Sans. “Hey, why is your Soul different from everyone else’s? Wait a minute…You’re the REAL Sans! Omigosh! Undyne! Sans is-“ But the kid was cut off by the sound of something charging. The kid turned to see two black voids where Sans’ eyes should be. “This is why I’ll never trust an anomaly,” the skeleton growled. A Gaster Blaster hung behind his head, aiming its maw at the child. “Help! Please! He’s gonna Gaster Blast me!” the kid cried. The blaster fired.

…

The steam cleared. Undyne had taken the blow.

“Undyne! You’re hurt!” The kid cried. “Hurt? It’s nothing…. Next time, I’ll be more careful with my magic…” Undyne replied, Alphys looked mortified. “Hey! I’ll take care of him! You all get out of here!” cried Undyne. Alphys evacuated the people around, but some hid and stuck behind, though the room was mostly empty. “It’s nothing….” Muttered Undyne. “No. Somehow, with just one attack, I’m already…. D-Damn it…” Undyne choked, clearly in pain. The bottom of her feet had begun to turn to dust. “Papyrus….Alphys….Asgore….all of my friends and Player-Punk too, I’ve f-failed them all….”

“No.”

“My body…it feels like it’s splitting apart. Like any instant, it’ll shatter into a million pieces. You’re drive to hurt the anomaly is bringing destruction to their reality, but ours as well. Monsters, Humans… everyone. I feel their hearts pound as one, across both our realities. We all have one goal… to defeat you and save our world. Sans, for the sake of our very existence… I will strike down the monster you have turned yourself into!”

Undyne’s form shifted suddenly, surrounding herself in her own dust. Sans could feel her determination surrounding her and changing her. The dust settled, and Sans stood to face Undyne the Undying. She smirked, drawing her spear and keeping Sans in place. “You’re going to have to try a little harder than that,” growled Undyne. Sans prepared himself for the attacks she would hurl at him.

Undyne herself never thought she would turn her spear to face another monster, let alone one she thought of as a friend. But there was no time for dwelling. Millions of innocent lives would be lost if Sans wasn’t stopped. She didn’t care if these people were guilty of messing with time. She didn’t care if all she was doing was for not. These people did not deserve what Sans and Gaster had in store for them and she would protect all that she could at all costs. It was sad she wouldn’t get to see Alphys again, because Undyne knew that a monster with a human soul was too powerful for her, but she would do what she could, she had to.

The battle raged on for what seemed like forever. Spear met bone, Gaster blasters fired in unison. Attacks were evaded and taken, and Undyne could not land one hit on Sans. It was slowly getting harder for Undyne to stand as her HP slowly drained away. It became harder and harder to stand, but she could not give up, not in this critical moment. “Why Sans?! Why do you want to hurt so many innocent people and drag our own home with you? Don’t you care about your friends?!” She screeched, another blast taking a chunk of HP from her. “I’m doing this because I care! We’ll finally live in peace when we reach the void, no anomalies, no resets….we’ll finally move forward in peace…and I can’t let you get in the way of that Undyne. I don’t want to kill you, but I will if I have to!” Sans shouted back, preparing another bone attack.

“You really have lost your mind…” Undyne huffed sadly. The barrage continued, but she couldn’t stop. She took blow after blow but she had to protect the innocent. Alphys could only watch from a horrified distance as Undyne began to lose what was left of her HP. Undyne struggled to stand. Sans’ eyes flared blue red and yellow as more attacks fired. Undyne could not take it, but she had to! She would not die! Another bone hits her. She would not die. Gaster Blasters fired. She would not die…. Sans closed his eye sockets. She would not…

Alphys and the other onlookers could only stare in abject horror as Undyne’s body began to melt. “I knew that power….wouldn’t match your…. New SOUL….but! IF YOU THINK….I’LL GIVE UP HOPE….YOUR WRONG…..I KNOW MY FRIENDS….MY REAL FRIENDS….! STAND BESIDE ME! WE WON’T….LET YOU…DESTROY….REALITY! AND WITH THAT POWER…..THAT HOPE…! OUR WORLD WILL LIVE ON!” Undyne cried, a puddle of her own body forming at her feet. “I’m sorry….I couldn’t help you….Sans…..” She uttered, a sigh escaping as she crumbled to dust. 

Sans stared at the soppy dust pile in shock. Had he really just….to one of his friends… what had gotten into him. Sans knew was not a murderer. He thought to blame your soul, but his newly acquired LV forced him to realize the truth. You had no hand in Undyne’s death. Tears of magic formed in Sans’ eyesockets, but it was nothing compared to the scene a little ways outside. Alphys was having a meltdown of tears, while a good hundred humans tried to comfort her, many others with solemn looks on their faces.

“Undyne! No Undyne…!” She wailed. Flowey appeared near Sans’ feet. “I bet you feel _sooo great after murdering your friend huh?”_ he barked. Sans looked down at the dust at his feet in response.

What had he done….?


	14. The Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flowey explains, Sans comes to a realisation.

Alphys’ crying echoed into the night.

Unwavering, unstoppable tears poured down her face as she cried screamed and begged for it not to be true. Many of those around her bowed their heads in silence for the fallen warrior. Many Undyne cosplayers held their spears to the sky as a sort of send-off to Undyne’s soul, while those not mourning were attempting to help comfort Alphys. She couldn’t stop crying.  
  
Flowey let out an indignant huff when he arrived moments later. “First he betrays us, and then he kills Player, now this. That skeleton’s gone mad,” growled the flower. Alphys only moaned in sadness when he spoke. “Wait, he killed one of us, too?” a cosplayer asked. “Yeah. I guess it’s about time all of you learn the truth behind the kidnappings,” Flowey decided, taking a higher position. “The kidnapper taking Undertale players from your world never existed in your reality. In fact, he never existed for a long time. I’m talking about Gaster,” Flowey explained, and many cosplayers looked up in shock, mumbles bursting through the crowd.  
  
Flowey waited for the noise to die down before continuing. “Gaster harnessed his power from in between realities to drag players to the void and steal their life force, including their determination,” he elaborated. Horrified gasps echoed. “Gaster’s ultimate goal? Destroy your reality and trap ours in the void, with Sans, an old friend of his, as an accomplice,” the flower continued, as the mumbles of surprise continued. “But, there is a change of stopping this! A player was dragged into the void was soon fully dragged across into our reality. Sans intended it as a false hope and killed them the moment we arrived in this world. What he doesn’t realize, is that when he absorbed the soul of the player under Gaster’s orders, he created a hope for our realities. The anomaly-human soul mixed with a monster’s created enough determination to reset both of our timelines. If we can get Sans to reset, we can save reality!” Flowey concluded.

More mumbles. “But why would he reset?” someone in the crowd asked. “Yeah, aren’t resets the reason he’s so broken in the first place, perhaps even the reason he’s so compliant with Gaster’s ridiculous plan?” someone else added. Murmurs of agreement passed through the crowd. Then, Alphys, wiping away her tears, stood and spoke. “There h-has to be a way! There has to! I-It’s the only way t-to bring h-her back!” she yelled. Discussion ripped through the crowd. Someone even suggested hurting Papyrus to force Sans to reset, but the multitude of fans shot it down immediately. Papyrus wasn’t even in this reality anyway. Planning continued as players fired out ideas, but it seemed impossible. Until the kid in the Papyrus costume spoke.

“What if we reveal Gaster’s true intentions to Sans?”

…

Sans finished dusting off a book left in Undyne’s dust pile. Ever since his old invention revealed “The Truth”, Sans elected to get everyone journals that would be impervious to the resets in time and space, so they could keep those memories forever. He was holding Undyne’s now. It was thick, and a bit disorganized, as well as a bit pounded with all of the warrior training she does, but in better condition than he expected. Undyne’s name was scrawled on the front, with signatures from all of her friends.

Sans found himself running a phalange across his own. Frisk was the one to suggest signing the covers of these in the first place, so even his much older journal was also covered in signatures from friends and family. Curiosity getting the better of him, Sans opened the journal to the first page of Undyne’s journal. It was plastered with happy pictures of her and Alphys, some smooches, cuddles and such. Some on the surface, some underground, some during the day and some at night. The next page was pictures of royal guard training with Papyrus. There was even spaghetti sauce in the pages, probably spilled on there with the ridiculous cooking lessons and all. Frisk and Undyne took up the next page. Undyne had some foot notes on some pictures, like: “Had bae take pictures of me chasing Frisk down this time,” and “Cooking with a wimpy looser again, maybe we won’t burn the house down,” and a picture of the burning house with “never mind” underneath.

It continued like this through the journal. Toriel teach both her and Papyrus to bake on the surface, tea time with Asgore, there was even one of with him in it, laying in the snow. “lazy sentry still refusing to work. I don’t know how he survives,” captioned under it. There was even a printed screencap of her appearance with Alphys on Mettaton’s talkshow about them being newlyweds. Though, one thing that hit really hard was the page after that one, for there was one large picture on it, with Alphys, Undyne and two twins, named Beta and Omega in their arms. Ribbons and balloon bits covered the page as the slightly older Alphys and Undyne held their babies in their arms, a sparkly “Congratulations” lining the bottom of the page. Tears welled in Sans’ sockets. They were married and had children in another timeline, and he had taken that away. Sans finished up looking through the journal. The most recent page had you in it, as well.

The journal was so… happy. Full of cherished memories and best moments and even the time Undyne had kids. In comparison, Sans’ journal was just sad. His was full of ketchup stains and only the necessary info needed. Writings on how to summon a Gaster Blaster, footnotes about plans with Gaster…. It was, well, pathetic at best, especially compared to this. Was he always that pessimistic in comparison to his friends? He guessed, because happy memories in his personal journal were few and far in between. There was that picture of everyone on the surface, his poorly drawn “don’t forget” photo, but it paled in comparison to his scaps of Papyrus’s scarf and marks for how many resets there had been. Wow, he really was a smiley trashbag, huh.

What was he even doing with his life?

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and Kudos much appreciated, this is my first work on this site!
> 
> Link to some art I made, as well as my Undertale Sideblog: http://three-undertale-aus.tumblr.com/post/154686641268/face-your-consequences-undyne-the-undying-vs-sans


End file.
